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Mavic returned - another uncontrolled fly away and mushy video

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Oct 15, 2016
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I have just had a frustrating online chat with Dominique from Dji support who has (very reluctantly) agreed to arrange my Mavic return for inspection and repair.

Flying yesterday I almost lost it when it flew off with no stick input. I had calibrated the compass before the flight, took off with good GPS, and the home point updated correctly. It hovered for a brief period, then shot off at high speed in a circular trajectory narrowly missing trees. I have examined the flight log and there is no stick input for the majority of the turn. I made a couple of attempts to stop it in flight and it eventually responded and went into a recoverable hover. Having regained control I managed to subsequently land the craft, although I was then receiving weak GPS warnings and high wind notifications although it was far from windy at my location.

Before the flight I had upgraded the firmware on the Mavic and three batteries which were fully charged (v01.03.0200). I later flew the craft on three other short flights in clear unobstructed air space with no other control issues, however the camera output was appalling with completely out of focus images. I have noticed that if I leave the camera on auto focus it constantly re focuses in flight, ruining any footage, so I put it into manual, take off, focus then fly, but still just seem to get mush.

The DJI advice was the usual, calibrate IMU, calibrate compass, calibrate gimbal, calibrate remote, calibrate VPS . . . VPS calibration via DJI Assistant 2 is interesting as the supplied USB lead is too short to allow me to move the drone far enough away from my computer screen !! The Dji support person (Dominique) was spectacularly helpful when she suggested I could connect my lighning cable to the mini usb on the drone . . . In the end I managed to borrow a longer usb cable but the calibration failed twice anyway and she finally agreed to arrange for the return / repair. Dominique wouldn't give me a RMA number, saying it would follow by email . . . keeping fingers crossd but not holding my breath, just in case.

I never have any problems from my Phantom 4, I does what it says, no fuss, no drama, steady as a rock, and totally dependable. Mavic . . . I'm not at all convinced this thing is ready, and I for one certainly don't trust it.
 
Your experience is in the minority . Others have experienced the same toilet bowl effect , but these instances are becoming fewer and fewer. Consider how many Mavics are now out in the wild.

Search toilet bowl effect here on the forums to see other similar instances
 
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There
Wow, such a superior tone, but thanks for sharing.
There have been complaints of air craft moment without stick input. Mavic's suddenly uncontrollably landing from high altitude as if the left stick was pulled down. Stick calibration not centering and passing for 3-5 attempts. Known issue.
 
Mine is solid as a rock. Not a single problem with it.


Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots
 
Still rock solid.. sharp video..not a single problem. I'm not knocking on wood..if it goes bad that's why I have care refresh.


Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots
 
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Still rock solid.. sharp video..not a single problem. I'm not knocking on wood..if it goes bad that's why I have care refresh.


Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots

No that's why you have warranty. Don't waste a refresh on a manufacturing issue if it develops one. If you smash it yourself then that's a different story.
 
I've never had video quality issue, but every once in a while mine will drift, even with calibrations. Some have said it may be due to the fact that I ran the firmware update before switching over to DJI Go 4. I don't really mind, its so minimal and I'm sure it'll be remedied after the next update. Certainly not enough for me to lost trustworthiness or want to send it back. Of all the platforms I've flown (FC40, Phantom 2,3,4 and the Inspire) the Mavic is one of the best.
 
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No that's why you have warranty. Don't waste a refresh on a manufacturing issue if it develops one. If you smash it yourself then that's a different story.

When I say bad I mean if I crash it. I have no expectation that I will have any warranty qualified failures. Only significant problem I have ever had with a DJI product was 100% operator induced. I expect the same with the Mavic. Now birds from other companies a different story.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I've never had video quality issue, but every once in a while mine will drift, even with calibrations. Some have said it may be due to the fact that I ran the firmware update before switching over to DJI Go 4. I don't really mind, its so minimal and I'm sure it'll be remedied after the next update. Certainly not enough for me to lost trustworthiness or want to send it back. Of all the platforms I've flown (FC40, Phantom 2,3,4 and the Inspire) the Mavic is one of the best.

Agree with you. Haven't even had a minor issue that wasn't corrected by settings or a basic understanding of the Mavic. I have currently P3, 2X P3p (long story), Yuneec TH, XSP, and a Mavic. Mavic is amazing and better than the rest.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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